This invention relates to memory aids, and more particularly, to a medication container with a remainder completely contained within the cap of the container.
One of the major factors in a patient's non-compliance with the taking of medication is the problem of not remembering whether the medication was taken at the last scheduled dosage time. As a result, devices to aid the patient's memory have been developed. These devices have been directed to a tray or similar device that holds the medication. One dose is placed in each scheduled time slot in advance of the administration of the medication. As the medication is used, the slots in the tray are emptied to provide a visual indication of the time for the next dose.
Numerous problems have prevented the widespread acceptance of these devices. A patient must admit that his memory is poor enough to require such an aid. Most persons see this as a threat to the ego, and therefore, resist the use of such a device. Most patients do not suffer from a severe memory detriment, that is, a frequent inability to remember when the last dosage was taken, but rather, they only occasionally forget to take the medication. On these occasions, a patient would appreciate a device to aid his memory, but the incidence of forgetfulness is so small that it does not appear to warrant the use of a separate reminder.
Although some medications are packaged by pharmaceutical companies in a scheduled dispensing device, such as birth control pills, very few medications enjoy such universally indicated dosage schedules. Most medications must be tailored to each individual patient, and therefore, cannot be pre-packaged in a self-scheduling dispenser. Accordingly, either the pharmacist or the patient must place the medication in a separate scheduling device for dispensing the medicine at the appropriate interval. A separate scheduling device assembled and used by the patient, unfortunately, provides undersirable opportunities for contamination or spillage.
Regulations require many medicines to be dispensed in "child-resistant" containers, i.e., containers which are difficult for a child to open. A medication reminder included in the top of such a container must also be either child-resistant, or used in conjunction with a child-resistant cap.